The State Of Belief

The political climate in the last few weeks has left many feeling overwhelmed and scared, waiting for the next shoe to drop. The increasing collaboration of right-wing groups to rally around Project 2025 shows the threat of what the Christian nationalist right’s interpretation of the Bible - and of America - might look like in the future. For this week's episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith...

Happy Independence Day Weekend! In this episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly podcast and radio program, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush interviews Rev. Thomas L. Bowen, White House Senior Advisor for Faith Engagement. As the nation celebrates the Fourth of July, the conversation ranges to Juneteenth, an important holiday celebrating freedom and the end of enslavement in...

Just in time for the election season comes a surge in disinformation campaigns by far-right extremist organizations targeting marginalized communities. The Southern Poverty Law Center is doing vital work by researching and educating around fact-based reports of hate crimes, extremist organizations, and political fearmongering. For this week's episode of The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s w...

Often in the reproductive healthcare debate, the voice of the faithful gets portrayed only on one side - the side of those trying to restrict women’s autonomy and access to abortion. However, this does not portray the entire picture. There is a rich and storied history of people of faith coming together to collaborate to ensure access to healthcare, defend autonomy in the healthcare decision-makin...

During Pride month, we see a lot of rhetoric of exclusion in parts of the Christian community. LGBTQ+ people can often find themselves in a space between their religious and LGBTQ+ identities. Rev. Don Abram has long been called to preach liberating gospel and create inclusive spaces, especially in the Black Church. Don founded Pride in the Pews three years ago with only “righteous rage and holy h...

Each year, Pride Month is a vital reminder to uplift and celebrate the inherent dignity of all people while honoring LGBTQ people and allies who bravely fought against hate and extremism before us. This year, we have seen a rise in anti-LGBTQ hate and know that extremist groups intend to target, disrupt, and intimidate Pride events this June. That’s why Interfaith Alliance and our partners help or...

Sometimes it seems like there are two Americas. One that accepts, loves, and honors - and another that rejects, fears and hates - those who are different. To counter the latter face of America and the extremism it can breed, activists of diverse backgrounds and experience are building spaces for interfaith dialogue and reflection on our society’s most pressing questions. For this week's episode of...

How did phrases like "One nation under God" become part of the Pledge of Allegiance, and "In God We Trust" become America's national motto? As Christian Nationalism becomes more and more mainstream, experts like Brian Kaylor are examining the origins of these religious elements in American public life. Contrary to popular belief, much of this conflation of religion and national identity was not es...

It's easy to look around the world, with rising hate and divisions, and feel fearful, isolated, and sometimes even defeated. Yet there’s plenty of reason for hope, as people across the country mobilize to confront bigotry and achieve democracy together. This week on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio show and podcast, the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush speaks with Eric Ward, e...

It's possible to lean into hope to such a degree that responsibility for action can seem either unneeded or futile. That's just one of the important observations this week's guest, Brian McLaren, makes to host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast. Brian's latest book is Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling...

"You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time." With that powerful quote from former US Rep. Pat Schroeder, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush teed up an in-depth look at strategies for protecting the vote and religious freedom for all, as well as an introduction to a series of inclusive conversations around LGBTQI+ lives in Texas, The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’...

The U.S. is now barely six months away from the 2024 election, and division and extremism seem to be at an all-time high. Race and religion play roles in much of the rhetoric surrounding the coming vote, and whether it’s imposing religion into public schools, dismantling reproductive freedom, or rolling back voting rights, Christian nationalists are stripping away freedoms at every turn.  This wee...

In the coming days, the United States Supreme Court will hear a case on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) – a federal law that guarantees all people treatment for emergency medical conditions. However, anti-abortion extremists are trying to exclude pregnant people from EMTALA’s long-standing protections. This has the potential to not only drastically impact access to life-savi...

While some traditions and congregations may be more inclusive than others, LGBTQ+ people have always had a presence in faith communities. When faith communities are affirming of LGBTQ+ people, it creates opportunities for more welcoming spaces, challenges forces of division, and fosters a society that embraces pluralism and intersectionality. This affirmation and inclusion also expands religious f...

Language and the words we use possess the extraordinary ability to bridge divides and bring people together, fostering understanding and solidarity among diverse communities. However, when wielded maliciously, they can also serve as a dangerous tool for sowing discord and causing division. This week on The State of Belief, the weekly radio show and podcast by Interfaith Alliance, host Rev. Paul Br...

As many faith traditions across the globe celebrate important Holy Days this weekend, it provides an opportunity for introspection and diving deeper into our personal relationships with faith. At a time in our history when an extremist religious minority seeks to weaponize faith in the service of an authoritarian political agenda, it’s important to build bridges and connections across traditions t...

Over the past several years, the global church has been grappling with sex abuse scandals and how to address and lift up the needs of survivors. In their new book, Surviving God: A New Vision of God Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors, theologians Rev. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Rev. Susan M. Shaw work to dismantle traditional theological constructs that perpetuate the grave issue of sexual abuse...

The outsized, but often forgotten, role of women in the Civil Rights Movement has come up several times recently on The State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance's weekly radio program and podcast. Now, host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush welcomes an expert on the subject, Dr. AnneMarie Mingo. Her new book, out on March 26th, 2024, is titled Have You Got Good Religion? Black Women's Faith, Courage, and...

Since long before the MAGA movement and the January 6 insurrection, white Christian nationalists have been pushing an agenda that marginalizes and discriminates against communities of color. We have seen how right-wing extremists have hidden behind Christianity as a cover for white supremacy, antithetical to Christian values of acceptance and justice. We can’t overcome Christian nationalism in the...

On March 7, 2024, interfaith leaders from across the country will gather in Minneapolis for an Interfaith Symposium at Augsburg University. The symposium offers an opportunity for people to build community, collaboration, and trust by participating in vital interfaith dialogue. During a time when religiously motivated hate crimes are on the rise and Christian nationalists are hard at work attempti...

Religious extremism is hardly a new phenomenon in America – but now more than ever, buoyed by an emerging Christian nationalist movement, it threatens nearly every corner of American public life. This week’s Alabama Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos constitute human beings – a ruling steeped in religious doctrine – is another painful reminder of that reality. In order to confront the thre...

This weekend, movie-goers across the country are making their way to theaters for the new film “God & Country,” the latest project from Rob Reiner exploring the role of Christian nationalism in American society. Among the experts featured in that film is scholar and author Dr. Anthea Butler, who provides an important academic perspective on this anti-democratic ideology that is quickly permeating...

The intertwining of religious dogma with political power not only undermines the fundamental principles of separation of government and religion, but also poses a grave risk to American democracy. Recognizing the urgency to address this growing concern, legendary actor, director and producer Rob Reiner has teamed up with director Dan Partland to create “God & Country,” a groundbreaking new documen...

As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, it’s crucial we discuss issues that sit at the intersection of historic struggles for justice and equality, including protecting democracy. Black communities and thought leaders have long been at the forefront of movements advocating for civil rights and equal representation, striving to address systemic challenges that threaten the very foundation...

As we observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day this weekend, elevating interfaith solidarity is even more important, especially with the recent unparalleled rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia around the world and right here at home. This occasion, dedicated to commemorating the survivors and lives lost during one of the darkest periods in human history, serves as a poignant reminder of t...